Dance a Decade Later

Free Morgantown dance party will travel down memory lane.

Written by Miriah Hamrick | Photos Courtesy of Brian Pennington

Published: May 8, 2013

Photos Courtesy of Brian Pennington

When Brian Pennington moved back to West Virginia from Brooklyn in the early 2000s, he wasn’t sure how he was going to line up any DJ gigs. Following a friend’s advice, the Charleston native got some turntables and a mixer and waited for opportunity to strike. An idea hatched when he got a gig spinning ’80s music for a punk rock prom in Huntington. Morgantown needed something like that, he thought, an opportunity for people outside the traditional club scene to let loose and get down. 123 Pleasant Street seemed like the ideal home for a dance party, and it turned out, a fellow Morgantown DJ had been mulling over the same idea. The two got in touch and the rest is history. Mayday Dance Party was born. Ten years later, a free Morgantown dance party will travel down memory lane in May.

In the beginning (summer 2003), the event was all ’80s: the melancholy crooning of Morrissey accompanied by the melodic riffs of Johnny Marr’s guitar, David Bowie’s glittery rock ballads. Over time, the show grew to encompass current electronic music and even included some bands. The only requirement was the music had to be danceable. Now, DJs from those early days want to celebrate the start of it all, the parties in between, and dispel the idea that the end is in sight.

Brian says in his invitation to what he calls 1 More Time: “Ten years later, pretty much everything is different. Facebook is the new Myspace. Spotify is the new Napster. The DJs have changed, the music has changed, just about everything has changed, but one thing remains the same: we all still like to dance to our favorite songs. So let’s do that. One more time.”

Back from Brooklyn for one night only, Brian Blackout invites everyone to 123 Pleasant Street on Saturday, May 18, 2013, to join in the celebration. He’ll be joined by DJs Will Young (Team Spirit) and Cutman. Music of all kinds starts at 10 p.m. It’s free to get in, and cans of Black Label cost $1. Just be sure to bring your dancing shoes. You’re going to need them.

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